Books & Stories

Escape into exciting, award-winning novels and fascinating non-fiction

Shows

Walking on Jupiter
A true story about surviving suicide – narrated by Stephen Graham.
The Artist by Lucy Steeds
An intoxicating debut set in 1920s Provence about art, passion and the chance of freedom.
One Came Back by Rose McDonagh
Gothic thriller, exploring the depths of grief, memory and obsession.
The Radio 2 Book Club
Sara Cox celebrates the best new fiction, with author interviews and reviews.
Language City by Ross Perlin
Linguist Ross Perlin meets speakers of little-known languages across New York.
How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
Grace is on a mission: to kill off her relatives. Bella Mackie’s darkly comic novel.
The Jura Affair by William Boyd
A sparkling new literary whodunnit from the acclaimed author William Boyd.
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
Rebecca F Kuang’s deliciously dark, witty thriller with a deeply flawed narrator
Sherlock Holmes Short Stories
Listen to Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, narrated by Hugh Bonneville.
The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
Venice 1486. Orsola Rosso flouts convention, honing her craft to save her family from ruin
A Year to Change Your Mind by Dr Lucy Maddox
Dr Lucy Maddox shares ideas from the therapy room to help you live better.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Read by Clare Corbett. Produced by Justine Willett
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
James Joyce's autobiographical modernist masterpiece. Read by Andrew Scott.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder by Katherine Rundell
Book of the Week. Five original essays on the power and politics of children’s fiction.
Status by Carl Honoré
Status. We don't like to talk about it. Carl Honoré brings it out into the open.
The List by Yomi Adegoke
Yomi Adegoke's fast-paced and addictive novel tackling the moral dilemmas of social media
Maya Angelou's Autobiographies
Dramatisation of Maya Angelou's debut memoir, which charts her childhood.
The Blue Book of Nebo
Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018.
The Last Loves of Ronnie Maker by Alice Jolly
A newly-commissioned serial from Alice Jolly about love, loyalty and the meaning of care.
People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
The story of Dimple Pennington, wannabe lifestyle influencer, and her four half siblings
Brown Girl Like Me by Jaspreet Kaur
An honest, unflinching account of life for South Asian women and girls in the UK today.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Read by Katherine Press. Produced by Anne Bunting.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Read by Susan Jameson. Produced by Ross Burman.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Read by Shaun Mason. Produced by Martha Littlehailes
The Third Information Crisis by Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman argues we are living through the third great information crisis.
Maame by Jessica George
The story of a young woman finding her own voice, and her own place in the world.
The Future by Naomi Alderman
A new novel from the author of The Power set in a future we could be heading to very soon.
The Maid by Nita Prose
A whodunnit and a portrait of a very ordinary life which suddenly becomes extraordinary.
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker
A glittering, gothic and surreal coming-of-age story with a deadly twist.
Really Good, Actually
Soon to be divorced Maggie is completely fine. Really Good, Actually.
This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan
Abi Morgan's powerful memoir about how life can change in an instant.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The landmark allegory about hypocrisy and corruption of power.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Special readings from Orwell's dystopian classic, now celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Magpie by Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day's psychological thriller.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s comic biography of a time-travelling hero who transforms into a heroine.
Redemption: My Story by Troy Deeney
A powerful memoir from footballer and anti-racism campaigner Troy Deeney.
Storytellers
Michael Fassbender reads Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Raiders of the Lost Cask by Abir Mukherjee
A Highland heist story written for BBC Radio 4 by Abir Mukherjee. Read by Sudha Bhuchar.
The Expectation Effect by David Robson
A fascinating scientific guide to why looking on the bright side really is good for you.
Short Works
Original short works for radio.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The great American novel of the Jazz Age, read by Kyle Soller
Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
An encounter with a whale on the Pacific Ocean leaves Maurice and Maralyn in peril.
Vidya Wade by Timothy X Atack
Maya thinks they've got a ghost. Vidya is the only extra-natural mediator she can find.